Jalapeño poppers are the crown jewel of low carb entertaining. They’re tasty, Atkins induction friendly, and no one thinks of them as diet food. Not only that, but you can make a full oven of them for under $6. I made these long before I ever had a breaded, fried popper, and when I did finally try the high carb version, it wasn’t half as good.
Ingredients
- jalapeños
- cream cheese
- bacon
- toothpicks
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the tops off the peppers and slice them down the middle. Then scoop out the interiors, making sure to get every last seed. The seeds are very spicy, and every one missed will be an unexpected burst of heat. Wash the peppers in a colander, then set them to dry.
Tip: Wash peppers in cold water, lest they form a potent pepper mist and blind you for the evening.
Take each half and spread a liberal amount of cream cheese inside. Wrap each pepper with ⅓ a slice of bacon, secure it with a toothpick, and place it on a greased baking pan.
Tip: Some people like to fry their bacon crispy and mix it into the cream cheese, but if you’re anything like me, a pile of freshly cooked bacon is a major liability. I reduce the bacon lost to snacking by wrapping the peppers individually and letting the bacon crisp in the oven. Individually wrapped peppers also tend to taste more wholesome, as mixing bacon into the cream cheese destroys its subtle flavors and lends it a processed taste.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until bacon is crisp and cheese is browned. Let them cool for five minutes.
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My kids love these things. Pretty pictures.
Just made these – they were great. Ate way too many, actually.
Thanks for posting.
LCC
hi, can u suggest any replacement for bacon?
or a vegetarian version?
Hmmm. The best substitute might be just not using bacon at all. However, I do know that the Morningstar vegetarian bacon is relatively in low carbs, so you could try using that. It won’t be the same, but it might come out nicely. I’d spray it down with Pam first, though, because vegetarian bacon tends to be dry.
I love Poppers! If you like appetizers you might check out my “Aussie Squash Fries”.
http://heartofacountryhome.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/31/
OMG! These look awesome … and I luuuuuuuvvvvvv your blog!
I used your picture to illustrate a blog post. I gave you credit, but I hope you don’t mind. If you do, let me know, and I’ll gladly take it down.
Help! I Got Jalapeno in my Eye
Great photos and blog!
I was a vegan before I went low-carb, and I just fell over laughing at the idea of replacing bacon with anything vegan that you expect to taste like bacon.
Resist the urge to go with a fake meat. Do this instead: Get your hands on some whole roasted red peppers from the deli, or roast your own red and yellow ones. Marinate them overnight in French dressing (the oil, vinegar, and herb kind). Use strips of them to wrap your poppers with.
I’m thinking of making these for a weekend trip but I was wondering if they are still good the next day?
A, I don’t think they’d store well, but I’ve never tried. Around here it’s a miracle if they last more than ten minutes. Even if you made them the day before, you might end up doing the same!
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